Published: Jul 5, 2005 WASHINGTON (AP) - Retired Vice Adm. James Stockdale, a former prisoner of war and Ross Perot's running mate in 1992, has died, the Navy announced Tuesday. He was 81.
Posted on 07/05/2005 5:14:55 PM PDT by TheOtherOne
James Stockdale, Perot Running Mate, Dead at 81
Published: Jul 5, 2005 WASHINGTON (AP) - Retired Vice Adm. James Stockdale, a former prisoner of war and Ross Perot's running mate in 1992, has died, the Navy announced Tuesday. He was 81.
The Navy did not provide a cause of death but said he was suffering from Alzheimer's disease. He died at his home in Coronado, Calif.
In the 1992 presidential election, Stockdale became independent candidate Perot's vice presidential running mate, initially as a stand-in on the ticket but later as the candidate.
Stockdale gave a stumbling performance in the nationally televised vice-presidential debate against Dan Quayle and Al Gore and later said he didn't feel comfortable in the public eye.
During the debate, he commented on an exchange between Quayle and Gore:
"I think America is seeing right now the reason this nation is in gridlock. The trickle-downs and the tax-and-spends, or whatever you want to call them, are at swords point."
When Perot ran again in 1996 as the candidate of his Reform Party, Stockdale had rejoined the Republican Party.
Stockdale was born in Abingdon, Ill., and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1947.
During the Vietnam War, he was a Navy fighter pilot based on the USS Oriskany and flew 201 missions before he was shot down on Sept. 9, 1965. He became the highest-ranking naval officer captured during the war, the Navy said.
He endured more than 7 1/2 years as a prisoner, spending four of them in solitary confinement, before his release in 1973. He was tortured repeatedly, according to the Navy.
Stockdale received 26 combat decorations, including the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest medal for valor, in 1976. A portion of his award citation reads: "Stockdale ... deliberately inflicted a near mortal wound to his person in order to convince his captors of his willingness to give up his life rather than capitulate. He was subsequently discovered and revived by the North Vietnamese who, convinced of his indomitable spirit, abated their employment of excessive harassment and torture of all prisoners of war."
He retired from the military in 1979.
Survivors include his wife, Sybil, and four sons.
AP-ES-07-05-05 2002EDT
Sorry if that seemed directed solely at you, it wasn't.
It just irritates me to no end to see all the posters on this thread saying "Poor Stockdale, Evil Perot"
Admiral Stockdale was not dragged into that election unwillingly. If he did it, he was willing to accept what was involved.
Men like Stockdale are not taken advantage of. If he was going to take hits for his support of Perot, I am sure that he was willing to take them.
There are people on this thread who want to use Admiral Stockdale as a tool to bash Perot. Give it up. Give the Admiral his respect without using him to get your hits on Perot. There are plenty of reasons not to like or agree with Perot or his candidacy, but what he did for the POW's cannot and should not be assailed, and what Stockdale wanted to do for Perot out of gratitude, respect and loyalty was a direct end result of Perot's efforts on behalf of the POW's.
The people who made fun of Admiral Stockdale's "who am I and why am I here" line are the people who were least equipped to understand that the line was a direct result of the philosophical education and training he had received. I am sure the Admiral saw that.
It didn't "surprize" him as I am sure it did some of the posters on this thread who seem somehow sophisticated enough to know what was best for Admiral Stockdale when they infer that he didn't know it himself.
A brave and patriotic man whom is a model to us all. May he rest in peace.
"Nobody has to like McCain as a pol, but unless a person has been a POW, nobody else can rightfully knock McCain for his POW years."
McCain is responsible for whatever respect or disrespect he garners for himself. Elevating himself to speech 'god' and the best friend the lying liberals have while wearing the opposition party mantle is not excused because he found himself a POW.
funny SNL bits on that guy
Thank God for this hero!
That's two Citadel Presidents in one week. Gen Seignious died 7-3.
God Bless him. Unfortunately instead of being remembered for his great service to our country he'll be remembered as being on a ticket with a lunatic because he was a loyal person. He wasn't up to it and it was grossly unfair of Perot to put him in that position.
Thank you for posting that.
The reason he walked around the podium was that they gave the three candidates tall stools to sit on. His knee always gave him tremendous pain. He could not just sit and let it dangle.
Fair winds and following seas, sir. You will be missed.
He did not have daughters. In Love and War only discussed sons. Maybe a daughter in law? Or a grandchild?
Stockdale & McCain.
Both Navy pilots, both flew A-4 aircraft, both shotdown over Vietnam in combat missions by AA & or SAM, both brutalized while POW.
"He did not have daughters. In Love and War only discussed sons. Maybe a daughter in law? Or a grandchild?"
I followed the OJ trial pretty closely, and I distinctly remember Gretchen Stockdale being touted as his daughter... I did a search, and nothing came up. They say the memory is the first to go.... :)
Maybe she was a neice, or maybe it was just that *that* information was incorrect. He indeed had only sons.
Ms Stockdale is now an accomplished attorney in L.A., leaving behind her "softcore" career.
Seriously, Read "in love and war" and you will read the story of two american heros - Admiral Stockdale and his wife, Sybil, who refused to give up.
Pukin Dog, why do you say that? Lots of good, even great pilots get shot down. Was he a bad pilot to begin with? I never heard that he was a BAD pilot, though from all I have read indicates he was a middle of the road pilot. Did you have personal experience with him, or read it somewhere he was an accident waiting to happen?
He was my Commanding Officer in my first squadron, and I never remember seeing him fly, so I cannot comment. I did know he was only two years removed from being a POW, and was in pretty bad shape physically, and often wondered how he got command of a squadron, even though it was just a training squadron. How on earth could he have got flight clearance with his history?
Point is, I have no love for McCain politically. But he did serve his country under difficult conditions. If Stockdalel said he was a good man and served well, I believe him. Doesn't mean I support McCain-Feingold or anything else he stands for politically, but unless someone knows he did something detrimental to our country when he was a POW, I wish they would come out and just tell us what it was.
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